ABOUT CLAUDIA dorsch
I grew up spending weekends in antiques shops, flea markets and galleries — first with my father, then, in my teens, working for dealers buying and selling furniture and objects. That early immersion gave me something that cannot really be taught: an instinctive feel for quality, and an understanding of how objects carry history.
After studying European Business Administration in London, I spent a decade in asset management for global financial institutions. It was a different kind of rigour — analytical, precise, structured — but it sharpened skills that have proved essential in running a successful international design studio: the ability to hold a complex picture, manage competing demands, and make decisions with confidence.
Throughout that time, I was investing in and renovating properties across the UK, Germany and France — working through the design decisions myself, building relationships with craftspeople and suppliers, learning, practically, what it means to make a home work. It was less a hobby than a parallel education.
I trained at the Inchbald School of Design and founded the studio in 2009. I am fluent in German and French and have worked with clients across the UK, Europe and the United States.
I live in Hampstead with my husband and three daughters. The studio is based here too, which feels right. The work has always been rooted in the reality of domestic life — in all its texture and complexity.
CLAUDIA’S PHILOSOPHY
We do not have a house style. Every project begins from the building and the client, not from an aesthetic we have decided in advance. What remains constant is that we think about the way a home should feel to live in — not what it looks like.
The work begins with architecture. Before a material is chosen or a piece of furniture placed, I want to understand the building: its proportions, its history, how light moves through it, what it is asking of the design. Context is not a constraint. It is the source of the atmosphere that makes one home irreplaceable and another merely beautiful. The result, when this thinking is right, is enduring — a home that belongs authentically to its owner ready for the rich life ahead of it.
It continues with understanding the client — not just their preferences, but how they actually live. The rhythm of a household, the rituals that matter, the things the current home fails to address and those which quietly feel right. This stage shapes everything that follows.
The result, when the work is done well, is a home that feels resolved. Where nothing is straining for effect. Where quality is felt before it is seen.
HOW I WORK
Every project I take on receives the same depth of attention, from the first conversation to the finished home.
I work on a small number of projects each year, not because of capacity, but because this kind of work cannot be divided too many ways. The decisions involved in designing a home are numerous, interrelated and consequential.
Getting them right requires focus.
Craft and materiality are central throughout. Behind every completed interior is a network of skilled makers built across nearly two decades of practice: joiners, plaster artists, metalworkers, textile specialists. I choose materials not only for how they look but for how they will age. A home that evolves with your life is one that was designed with care from the beginning.
I am also a registered member of the British Institute of Interior Design.
“From the very beginning, I felt completely at ease with Claudia. Claudia is extremely professional yet warm, approachable and elegant, with a truly lovely personality.
What I appreciated most was how collaborative the process was. Although I trusted her instinct entirely (and she never let me down), Claudia and her team made sure the designs reflected my ideas, preferences, and lifestyle. I was asked to complete paperwork and moodboards to capture my likes and dislikes, which ensured the final result felt personal and authentic.”
Every home begins with a conversation.
We have been working with private clients since 2009. We take on a small number of projects each year, and give the same depth of attention to each one - from the first conversation to the finished home. To find out how we might work together, book a discovery call.